Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to providing a band preference in a wireless network.
Description of Related Art
Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless network, for example a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network (IEEE 802.11) may include an access point (AP) that may communicate with one or more stations (STAs) or mobile devices. The AP may be coupled to a network, such as the Internet, and enable a mobile device to communicate via the network (or communicate with other devices coupled to the access point).
Some wireless networks support more than one RF band, e.g., a 2.4 GHz band and a 5 GHz band. Different RF bands may have different RF characteristics and provide different operational capacities. For example, the 5 GHz RF band supported by some wireless networks typically provides higher bandwidth capacity and support for more channel modes than the 2.4 GHz RF band, but the 5 GHz wireless band generally has a reduced coverage area.
When connecting to a network, a STA may enter the coverage area of the wireless network and connect to the wireless network over the first detected band, e.g., the 2.4 GHz band, having a measured signal strength above a joining threshold. The STA may continue to scan for service on other RF bands, e.g., the 5 GHz band, or wireless networks until the signal strength of the current band reaches a higher roaming threshold level, at which point the STA may stop scanning for other RF bands to conserve power. According to current implementations, a STA connected to the 2.4 GHz band of a wireless network that reaches the roaming threshold will stick to the 2.4 GHz band rather than continue to look for a 5 GHz band that may be more favorable. As the STA moves closer to the AP of the wireless network, the signal strength of the 5 GHz band may increase to a point where the 5 GHz band would otherwise provide greater connection capabilities to the STA than the 2.4 GHz band. There are, however, no mechanisms that permit the STA to perform additional scans to detect a more preferential RF band when the RF band of the current connection provides a signal strength above the roaming threshold.